Trusting in a bishop's fairness
There's a lovely little story this weekend about the service that Bishop William Lawrence performed during a serious labor dispute back in the first decade of the last century. It was dispute between a newspaper publisher and a union that centered on wages. Bishop Lawrence was asked to service as an arbitrator in the dispute.
The interesting bit of the story was the bishop's observation that what mattered in the settling of the dispute was not the solution per se, but that the arbitrator had the trust of both sides.
"My decision met with approval on both sides. As a matter of fact, I judge that if in such a case both parties have confidence in the good sense, fairness, and intelligence of the arbiter, they are content, even if things do not go altogether as they wish.”
Do you think this is still true in the secular world today? Any chance that our bishop's could still serve in such a role in a community dispute?
How about in the church?
How about in the church?¨
What a HUGE ORDER. TRUST! I´m afraid the folks on the Religious FAR Right have damaged their trustworthiness beyond repair (or at least without a full-out apology/amends and accounting of actions followed by humility, repair, restraint). They have also contaminated The Anglican Communion with years of abusive and extreme and destructive behavior.
Risking the LIVES of other Anglicans/others by preaching/instigating ¨Witch Hunts and Massacres¨ in Uganda and Nigeria is far from a place of being honorable and trustworthy.
The irresponsible behavior of some leading +clergy people is astoundingly ignorant and/or dangerous/manipulative when viewed full on (and when considering the outcomes/victims of such fear/hate-mongering worldwide).
Closer to home:
Commissioning ¨secret special committees¨ at TEC is FAR from helpful in a climate and ¨season after season¨ of such covert action such as ++Griswold, ++KJS-elect, and ++Rowan indulged in at the last GConvention.
Forced ¨fasting¨ isn´t justice neither is ¨standing in a crucified place¨ (heck, forget the ¨standing¨ many ARE REALLY being abused, tormented, demonized and murdered in Africa and the Middle East).
How can there be ANY illusion of TRUST given when repeatedly Episcopalians and Anglicans have been ¨violated¨ in the most humiliating ways by OUR OWN politically minded BISHOPS?
Earn our trust.
I think there ought be booths assigned for special interest, outside groups, at GC/Anaheim 2009 like the ¨Continuing Windsor Group¨, ¨Integrity,¨ the ¨Covenant Design Group/4th redo one-day miracle shortlist workers¨ and a lovely, but seperate, draped booth for the Archbishop of Canterbury (really, he´s violated so many TRUSTS, including, TEC´s and +Robinsons/Lambeth, ignoring Venables raids, that he ought not be allowed to roam freely amongst the delegates and Bishops. ++Rowan has proven irresponsible and untrustworthy with his willingness to look the other way and secretly plot his plottings for unity...transparency isn´t his strongest suit.
++Rowan planting more seeds of denial/confusion regarding the REAL, and deadly, actions of several Bishops in their Provinces at The Anglican Communion is spiritually unhealthy as well as irresponsible. Who could ¨trust¨ such a cowardly person?
When I consider Bishop Tutu I think of a HONORABLE and TRUSTWORTHINESS in a person/bishop who has the good sense and courage to offer fairminded leadership to all sides of ANY issue...I´m certain there are many other bishops of his over-all quality, fairmindedness and ilk.
We must stop playing PRETEND.
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June 8, 2009 11:39 AM